In order to protect an interior of a container or enclosure, e.g., circuit enclosures designed to be placed on telephone poles, electrical poles, or homes, the container or enclosure is typically provided with a rubber gasket, gaskets, or the like, positioned along a lip or flange where a top-half and a bottom-half of the container or enclosure meet when the container or enclosure is in a closed position. The rubber gasket is designed to prevent rain, sand, dust, and other particles and debris from entering through the discontinuity formed by the top-half and bottom-half of such an enclosure. However, such an enclosure containment prevention design has specific operational disadvantages and manufacturing disadvantages associated therewith.
In particular, enclosures and containers to protect circuits, wires, and other electrical components, are typically made out of hardened plastic, metal, or the like. The use of such materials is advantageous since these materials can withstand harsh weather conditions for many years without failing. However, it has been found, due the rubber gasket material, or the like, used to protect the enclosures or containers from the exterior elements, preventive maintenance is required to ensure the rubber gasket is free of cracks, dry-rot, deterioration, or the like. Such a maintenance procedure requires a skilled technician to ensure that a rubber gasket installed on such a container or enclosure is free of defect. If the gasket is found to be damaged, then the technician must either replace the gasket in the container or enclosure, and/or the container or enclosure itself. This is a significant disadvantage since the container or enclosure must be inspected at regular intervals, and/or replaced before the exterior portion of the box would normally need replacing.
Another disadvantage in the design of the conventional container or enclosure, occurs at a manufacturing stage of the container or enclosure. Typically, if the container or enclosure is made of a hardened plastic material, then the manufacturing of such is normally done by a mold die. A mold die is manufactured in the desired shape of the enclosure or container. A plurality of these will be made, depending on the manufacturing quantity, and subsequently used during a manufacturing cycle. A molten plastic material is injected into the die, thereby forming the container or enclosure. Subsequent to this process, in order to weatherproof the enclosures or containers, a rubber gasket, or the like, must be adhesively applied to a flange or lip portion of the molded enclosure or container. This process of adhering a rubber gasket is an additional manufacturing step which must be accomplished by either a manual or automated process. Nonetheless, the process of adhering the rubber gasket requires a manufacturing stage which is in addition to the molding of the enclosure or container.